Linked holders for lantern slides



Feb. 18, 1958 F. wALLER TAL 2,823,472

` LINKED HOLDERS FOR` LANTERN sL1DEs Filed 'May 7, y1954 FIGA.

7 77 la\\\\\\\\\\\ W 78 ATTORNEYS.

LINKED HOLDERS non LANTERN sumas.

Fred Waller, Huntington, and .Waldo M. MacLaury, Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y.

Application May 7, 1954, Serial No. 430,217 3 Claims. (Cl. 40-64) This ,invention relates` to apparatus for. holding slides. that are to be projected successively, and theinvention relates particularly to. a. novel. slidesholder construction. with indexing means for4 operating.. automatic apparatus, and witha combination of lnksand gear segmentsforA connecting. successive slide. holderstogether. inv such., a. way thattheycan be folded .against one another into a compactrelation.

' One Iobjectof the inventionis to.. provide. an improved` slide holder which.is connected with other andwsimilar. slidey holders to form a chainhaving novel connecting meansa-t whichdhe slide holders can be separated-from; one another only when they are in one particularangular relation to oneanother. When in. folded relation, the slide holders are connectedftogether in such a Waythat a packof holders can. be p ickedup by theend slide. holders ofthe pack..

Another object .ofthe invention isto. providea vlinked connection between successive; sliderholders of the.. chain withgear.. segments on,y the connected. slide holders. for causing,A the slide holders to fold. into p arallel.. relation with one anotherA asthey swing in either directionahout their linked-connections; v

Oi'iefeature of the gear segment construction-insures. against assembly of the slide holders withtheteeihof. the .gear segments meshed in any way, otherthana.sym-- metrical relation that permits a swinging moyernent.. of theslidehold'er equally in both directions from a central, extended'position insubstantial alignmentlwith. the next adjacent slide holder of 'the chain.

The slide ho-lders of this inventionare constructedin such a wayI as to facilitatethe insertion andremoval' of 'United States Patentslides, and are. constructedk with walls or shoulders, that.

cooperate'with guide ridges, andwith feeding mechanism of the slide changing., apparatus ,with which, this' .inventionV i'sintended to be.A used.

` Another object ofthe invention is to provide animf proved' indexing) portion for a slide'v holder tooperate'. sound controls,.or other control apparatus that isusedg in.` connection with the projection'or. display.. of the slides..

Although;the'invention willbe described in connection.

nected at its opposite ends with similar, slideholders.

to form a chain.

"F.i'g..2 is. a. sectional view taken onthe line 2f-2. of..

Pig. .1.

Fig. 3 is a top'plan'view ofthe center slide holder of" Fig. 1.

Fig. 4y is a sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of. Figurel,l vand Fig.L 5 visabottom. view of the structure shown in Figure 1with the slide holdersjn folded relation to.

one another.

Fig., lpshows aslide holder 15 whichhas atop 16, a b`ottom..1v 7 and. side,..portions 18 formingl a frame for holdingua, slide,2.0' (lig. 2). Thereare lugsv 21, 22,and. 23V extending. from the side. portions, 18. for. maintaining. the slide in position, the lugs 21 and 23 beinglocated in` frontof the slide, land.,the,lugs .2.2 being locatedbehind the. slide..A The..loyyer. edge., ofv the slide 20Y rests. on a.

shoulderli, along fthe.. bottom portionv 17 of the slide holder. Thereare large .recesses-26 in the shoulder 25 to. receive cementfor securing the slide in the holder.v There-is a recess .29.inthe bottom of theslide holder,

andlthis. recess has, shoulders at, itsopposite ends, preferably a straight or flat shoulder 30 at one side, and` af roundshoulder 3 1. at the.. other side. These shoulders are.unsymmetrically-locatedwith.respect to the centerof.y

the..s1ide holder, the. rounded. shoulder 31being nearer to thecenter of. the..slide.holderthan -is the at shoulder 30,

for` reasons .whichwill be. explainedin connection withv the gnidingofv theslides when infolded relationwith oneanother. The..recess,29isused also in cooperation. withapparatusffor causing the .slides to move into folded,

relation 'with one. another;

Atthe. topnof the slideholder, the side portions 18. extend for some distance.y above an upperedge33-whichz is ,the :top .edgeof the. .slideholderf frame. Theresa clip 35 from coming off they slidefholder..

When it is;n`ecessaryto remove; the clip`..35f in.order to` replace a slide, thernid. portioncf the.. clip3-35isflexed1 away from.the` opening 39` so as.;to withdraw the tab -37- frornzthe'opening,t and it'v is` a; feature1 of., the. inventioni that the .clipr35..is.1nade of, resilient.y and flexible 4material whichisthin enough to be easily bentztowwithdraw the tabfrom the opening.. Thezslide20., being held against rear ward movementv bytheLlugsZl and 23.,A can exertv no pressure in na. direction; to ex the clip. 35 away, fromthe opening. 39.

Atthe. upperzend zoff the. clip there are index'ynotches,

41. The clips. for different slideholdershave different numberstofgndex, notches.4.1,. or have one or more .in-

dexed notches located: at diiferent. distances. from the ends of thefclipffoncausing different combinations of control. fingers, to. be operated. byrtheclip35 whenthe respective slide'holdersnarein positionfor projection, or in-some other position at.whichit,is desirable tol cause control apparatus tooplerate.v

The slide. holder 15 is connected with. another slide holder. 45 .J which is, preferably ofidentieal construction.

with theslid'e .holder 15,. At the left handendofthe slide holder 45, there isa gear segment 47f`which extends be-.

yond the side portion 13`o1fthe .slide holder and into mesh with a complementary gear. segtnent.49 Y extending beyond theside portionv ofthe adjacent slide. holder l5.Y There is a.hore.51-at.the center ofeach of the gearsegrnents 47'.y and.. 49, 'end thewboreSI.. in eacl'Lgear segment iscoaXi-al,

with .the axiscf. the, gear' segment..

These slide holders 15 and 45 are joined by a link. 54',I

which has ,theshape;.of ,an inverted. U., andthe sides; of

theJJ, extend..downwardlyintothe bores 51 inthe respecr,

y tive gearsegmentsAf/.and 49,.; The downwardly,extend;-

Patented Feb. 18,1958.

The pitch diameters of the gear segments 47 and 49 are' substantially equal to the effective length of the link 54 so that the link holds these gear segments 47 and 49 in' proper relation for them to roll on one another as the slide holders swing about their pivot connections to the' link 54. It is a feature of the invention that the pitch diameters of the gear segments 47 and 49 are at least equal to the thickness of each of the slide holders so thatI when the slide holders swing on their link connections,

they can come into parallel relation with one another as' sho'wn in Fig. 5.

Referring again to Fig. 1, there is a gear segment 57 at the right hand side of the slide holder 15, and this gear segment 57 is identical with the gear segment 49 at the right hand side of the slide holder 45. The gear segment 57 meshes with a gear segment 59 of a slide holder 60 to' which the slide holder 15 is joined by a link 64. This link 64 is identical with the link 54 at the other end of the slide holder 15.

Any number of slide holders of identical construction can be connected together by similar gear and link connections to form an endless chain of slide holders. the links that connect the slide holders are in substantial alignment with the slide holders, as shown in Fig. l, the slide holders are in extended relation with respect to one another. When the slide holders swing on vtheir link connections into the positions indicated in Fig. 5, the slide holders are in folded relation and in this position they are substantially parallel with one another, that is, the

front of one slide holder extends across the back of the` next adjacent slide holder. The most compact relation is obtained by having the pitch diameters of the gear segments equal to the thickness of the slide holders as shown, but larger gear segments can be used with corresponding increase in the length of the links 54, 64 and the slide holders can be folded, though the successive slide holders will not be in such compact relation.

' When the slide holders are folded, as indicated in Fig. 5, the rounded shoulders 31 of alternate slide holders are located at the same side of the folded group of slide holders, and the at shoulders 30 of alternateslide holders are spaced back from the line of rounded shoulders 31.

The advantage of this construction is that the roundedV When' gear segment 57, the lug 75 has a slot 77 through which the link 64 can pass, provided that the link is aligned with the slot 77. After the link 64 has been inserted into the gear segment 57, however, a tab 78 at the outside of the slot 77 is bent inward to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, and when in this position, the tab 78 prevents the end of the link 64 from being withdrawn from the gear segment 57.

In order to insert the other end of the link 64 into the center bore or opening of the gear segment 59, it is necessary to bring the gear segment 57 downward into mesh with the gear segment 59. This can be done only when one of the teeth of the gear segment 57 is brought into mesh with the portion of the gear segment 59 which is in the gear segment 59 and extends upward into the notch 72. If any gear tooth of the segment 57, other than the center tooth, is meshed with the space of the gear segment 59 in line with the notch 72, the long center tooth of the segment 57 will strike against the periphery of theshroud 70 when the slides are folding in one direction andY prevent proper folding of the slides. This will be immediately apparent to anyone who is connecting the slides together and will cause the person connecting the slides to withdraw the gear segments from improper mesh with one another and insert the long tooth of gear segment 57l into that space of gear segment 59 which is in line with the notch 72.

When the slide holders are in folded relation, the gear segments 57 and 59 cannot come out of mesh with one another. The link 64 prevents them from coming out. of mesh in a direction transverse of their axes. If the gear segment 57 moves upward with respect to the gear segment 59, the teeth of the gear segment 57 strike the shroud 70 and prevents any further upward movement' of this gear segment with respect to the gear segment 59.

If the gear segment 59 is moved upward with respect to the gear segment 57, it will lift the link 64 into contact with the tab 75, and the tab will stop any further upward movement of the gear segment 59 with respect' to the gear segment 57. It is apparent, therefore, that when the slide holders are in folded relation with respect to one another, the lifting of one slide holder will lift the next adjacent slide holder, and it is thus possible to pick l up the entire group of folded slide holders 'by merely shoulders 31 come into contact with a guide ridge or wall 66 of a guideway along which the group of folded slide holders is advanced, while the at surfaces never contact with the guide ridge and consequently are not subject to wear. The at surface can be used, therefore, to register the slide holders at the projection station n yprojectors that have provision for registering the slides in this way.`

Slide holders between those which have their rounded shoulders in contact with the guiding'ridge 66 are not guided except indirectly through their connections with' 70 at the upper end of the centrally located space be-.

tween the teeth ofthe gear segment 59, that is, the space engaged by the center tooth of the gear segment 57 whenY the slide holders are in extended relation.

The teeth of the gear segment 57 are somewhat shorter than the teeth of the gear segment 59 with the exception of the center tooth of the gear segment 57, and this centerY tooth extends for the combined height of thegear segment 59 and the shroud 70. Y Y

-f A lug 75 extends out from-the side portion 18 at an elevation just above the link 64. Before the link 64 is initially inserted into the center bore or opening of the'i lifting the end holders.

` Inthe use of the slide holder chain of this invention,-A

the slide holders are preferably supported in a vertical position on an endless guideway on which the lower ends of the slide holders travel. The slide holders are maintained in extended relation with respect to one another as they travel Vpast a projection or display station.. Beyond the projection or display station the guideway in' which they travel broadens out to a width somewhat, greater than the length of the respective slide holders and means are provided for causing the slide holdersA to move first into a zig-zag relation with respect to oneanother, and then into the Fig. 5.

In this folded relation, the individual slide holders oc-v .folded relation shown in inan endless guideway, repeated displays of the sequence' of slides. fcanbe 'given without having to reverse the.

feedingmechanism or otherwise to return the slides to` starting position.

, The preferred embodiment of the invention Yhas been shown'and described, but changes and modifications canA be made, and some features of the invention can be' used alone, or in combination, without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A chain for holding a number of slides f-or display in sequence, said chain including a plurality of individual slide holders each of which has a frame for supporting a slide in a fixed position with respect to the holder, pivotal connections between the respective slide holders, a spring clip attached to each of the slide holders adjacent to the upper end of the slide holder, and a tab extending frorn a portion of each clip across the top of a slide positioned in the frame to prevent displacement of the slide from the frame, the clip having indexing notches in another portion, the indexing notches of the clips on diierent slide holders 'being differently located for the purpose of selectively controlling other apparatus in connection with the display of the respective slides.

2. A slide holder comprising a frame for supporting Ia slide in a xed position with respect to the holder, pivot connections for joining the slide holder to similar slide holders, a spring clip attached to the slide holder adjacent to the upper end of the slide holder, and a tab extending from a portion of the clip across the top of a slide positioned in the frame to prevent displacement of the slide from the frame, the clip having indexing notches in another portion, the indexing notches being characteristic of the particular slide in the holder and in position to control other apparatus in connection with the display of the slide, the frame having an opening into which the tab extends to hold the clip on the frame, the construction of the clip and tab 'being resilient so that the tab can be bent outwardly to pass over the portion of the frame in which the opening is located, and the clip being shaped so that the tab snaps into the opening 6 when the clip is pushed down on the frame far enough to bring the tab into line with the opening.

3. A chain for holding a number of slides for display vin sequence, said chain including a plurality of individual slide holders each of which has affrarne for supporting a slide in a lxed position with respect tothe holder, pivotal connections between the respective slide holders, and a clip attached to each of the slide hlders at the upper end of the slide holder, the clip beingl a different piece from the slide and having a surface located ovegak top of a slide positioned in the frame to prevent displacement of the slide from the frame, at least one edge of each clip having dilerent configuration fromthe corresponding edge of other clips for selectively controlling other apparatus along the path of travel of the slide holders, at least the portion of the slide holders to which the clips attach being of similar construction so that any clip fits any slide holder, the diterent configuration of the corresponding edges of the different clips including indexing notches along one edge of each clip, the notches rbeing located in different positions lengthwise of the edges in which they are formed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 102,296 Mignot Apr. 26, 1870 359,316 Damlos Mar. 15, 1887 2,581,079 Coutelen Jan. 1, 1952 2,586,176 Olsen Feb. 19, 1952 2,720,137 Muse-beck et al. Oct. 11, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,007 Switzerland May 18, 1917 

